Display apparatus.



J. A. KENNEDY-McGREGOR.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1913. RENEWED FEB. 29, 1916.

1,179,523 1 Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Tm: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co. WASHINGTON, 0. c.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEEIS- SHEET 2- J. A. KENNEDY-McGREGOR.

' DISPLAY APPARATUS.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. l9l3- RENEWED FEB. 29,1916.

1 179,531 Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

IIIP

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

JOHN ALEXANDER KENNEDY-MGGREGOR, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

DISPLAY APPARATUS.

Application filed May 12, 1913, Serial No. 767,101.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that 1, JOHN ALEXANDER KENNEDY-MOGREGOR, a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at 74c Gravelly Hill, Birmingham, in the county of Viarwick, England, engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or I Relating to Display Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises certain improve ments in or relating to apparatus or mechanism for displaying advertisements or other indications.

According'to the present invention, a display device bearing an advertisement or other indication is adapted to be displayed by any suitable source of power by the medium of a pneumatic connection.

This invention is particularly well adapted for an instance in which it is desired to display an advertisement blind overthe window of a tube railway train, the blind being drawn over the window after the train has started and being caused to uncover the window before the train has stopped, the intention being to permit of the occupants inspecting the name of the station when the train is entering, but throughout the time during which the train is passing through the tunnel the advertisement is displayed over the place at which the window is provided. For this application of the invention to railway trains, I may control or regulate the operation of the blind by a governor worked from the wheels of the vehicle, while the blind is itself positively operated from power received from the wheels and not from the pull created by the centrifugal effort of the governor which centrifugal effort is only utilized for operatively connectingqand disconnecting the source of power with the blind.

My present invention is carried out in its last-mentioned application by employing an air pump which is operated from the wheels of the vehicle. The pressure created by th1s air pump is conveyed by a conduit to a ram placed in-the vicinity of the bllnd. Means are provided in connection with said conduit whereby by opening a valve or the equivalent air can escape therefrom. Said means are operated or controlled by the governor. When the train is stationary or running slowly the governor has theeffect of retaining the valve in the open position, but when the train attains the desired speed, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Renewed February 29, 1916. Serial No. 81,289.

governor closes the valve or allows it to close thereby leaving the pump in proper communication with the latter for the operatlon of the blind.

A safety valve is provided so that after the blind has been operated the air compressed by the continued efiorts of the pump can escape; the resistance offered by said safety valve must obviously be greater than that of the blind or all of the blinds oper ated by the pump.

Advantageously the governor operated valve itself constitutes the safety valve the arrangement being such that it can be opened either by the slow running or stopping of the governor or by the excessive pressure of the air.

In order that this invention may .be clearly understood, and readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended explanatory three sheets of drawings, upon which Figure 1 is a plan of one part of the apparatus according to the present invention. Fig. 2 illustrates the governor-controlled escape valve. Fig. v3 illustrates in section the safety valve. Fig. 4 is a front sectional elevation of the apparatus according to the present invention. Fig. 5 is a side sectional elevation of the apparatus according to the present invention.

In the drawings, a illustrates the pump which is driven in any suitable manner from the wheels of the vehicle. The air from the pump a is carried away byway of a conduit extending from the outlet 2; with which the pump is in communication, and which conduit conveys the air to the blind to be hereinafter described, shown in Fig. 4, and in which figure the conduit in question is designated 0. The air from one pump may for instance pass, to, say, eight different blinds, all of which are operated by the one pump. In connection with the pump a governor-controlled escape valve d is provided which cooperates with the one end of the lever e. The other end of the valve lever e is provided with a part f operated by a centrifugal ball governor g driven from the wheels and when the governor is stationary or only running slowly, the valve lever e is retained in the position for leaving the valve (5 open, this being by virtue of the spring h of the governor g, but upon the speed increasing to the desired degree the valve d closes by its spring 01 As soon as the valve is closed, the air instead of escaping uselessly is thereby enabled to operate the rams to displace 'the blinds. A'fter so displacing the blinds the increased ressure of air escapes byway of the saf ty valve d which allows the air to so escape if it exceeds a certain pressure, such pressure being 'su'flicientto retain all the blinds in the displaced position.

, gis a receptacle forcontaininggcompressed air and its capacity is about twice that of the entire pneumatic system to which the one pump relates. The salid'receptacle -:q is in communication bya pipe 1" with any suitable part of the system and the communicating pipe 4" is controlled by an automatically operatedcock or valve 8. Provision is made whereby in operation the cooks opens immediately after the valve :61 has "closed whereby the air contained in;the reservoir is enabled to immediately operate the :blinds with the advantage "that :the advertisements are displayed by a quicker movement than would be the case in the event of the operation being effected entirely by the In the continued working of :the pump the original pressure in the reservoir 9 is restored before any air escapes at the safety valve c and upon the train "commencing to slow vdown the valve s automatically closes immediately prior to the opening of the valved so that throughout the time -.during which the train is stationary the stored quantity of air is isolated within the receptacle 9. As a convenient means of automaticallyfoperating the valve '8, I may provide.

an integral extension it on the lever e, the

said extension 6 being connected "by a link a with an arm provided on the rotatable plug of the cock 8, the arrangement being such that the cock 8 opens immediately atter the closing of the valve 1d and closes immediately before the opening of such valve d.

A ram j to which the air is supplied is provided in conjunction with each blind,

said ram consisting 0 26 a stationary cylinder having a moving piston or plunger furnished" with a cup washer and adapted to be displaced -by the pressure of the Said plunger is adapted to displace the blind through the medium of any suitable mechanism.

Both ends of a cord are secured to any suitable stationary part of the apparatus, after which both cords are passed through 180 around a pulley 70 carried by the movcopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ley ing part of the ram j. Alter passing around the pulley 7: the cords" continue for a short distance together after which one cord is passed through 180 around apulley Z, afterwhich the cords extend in a direction away from each other, one passing over the pulley m and the other passing over'thepul It will be understood that the remaining part of the cord is in the form of a loop; this passes'along theedge of the blind 0 to be 'displaced andithe 'cord. canslip longitudinally in-relation to such edge so that a compensating'efl'ect is obtained whereby both sides-of the blindarepulledin substantially the same degree. 79 is a spring which tends to retain the blind in its withdrawn position. Astop may be provided to limitthe outward movement of "the ram.

What 1 :claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Inadevice of the character described,

the combination of a'display device with a pneumatic system for operating said device,

an escapement port in said system permitting the discharge of air therefrom ito'the atmosphere, and means for closing said port for causing the air in the system to operate said display device, an air reservoir, and

means for automatically establishing com- 1 munication between said system and :said reservoir immediately after, the system 'begins to opera 'te said display device, substantial ly as described v '2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a displayrdevice with a pneumatic system for operating said device, an escape port 'infsaid system permitting the discharge of air therefrom into the atmos phere, :means for closingsaid port adapted to cause "the air in the system to operate said display device, an air reservoir, and means for automatically establishing communica tionfbe'tween said system and reservoir immediately after the systembegins to operate said display device, and means for closing said communication as soon as the discharge port is again opened to the atmosphere.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set' my hand in the presence of two witnesses. JOHN ALEXANDER KENNEDLMCGREGOR.

Witnesses;- Y I AnTH UR H. BROWN,

ARomBAnD' F. LAMB.

Washington, 30. 0;

of Patents, 

